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SECU pledges 250000 to hospice facility

RALEIGH, N.C. (10/10/08)--State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) members, through the SECU Foundation, have pledged $250,000 to assist in the construction of a freestanding inpatient hospice facility for Hospice of Wake County in North Carolina. The pledge is a matching gift to Hospice of Wake County’s “Building Partners in Caring” capital campaign. With plans to begin construction before the end of the year, the proposed facility consists of three buildings--a 19,000-square-foot hospice house, a 26,000-square-foot community/administrative building and a 1,000-square-foot spiritual sanctuary. “The pledge grant for Hospice of Wake County will give families even greater resources to deal with the medical and emotional aspects that come with the anticipated loss of a loved one,” said David King, chairman, SECU Foundation board of directors. “Many of our members have been touched by hospice care, so this is a very fitting project for the SECU Foundation. We are happy to assist with this effort.” The Hospice House will have 14 acute care beds, six residential beds and a space dedicated for families, including a kitchen, family room and playroom for children. The community center will feature a state-of-the-art bereavement center and will provide space for community education programs, for children to take part in play and art therapy sessions, and for adults to participate in counseling programs. “This generous pledge by SECU members will help make it possible to build a permanent home for Hospice of Wake County, and allow us to deliver tender medical care to patients in a facility that is specifically designed for end of life,” said Michael D. Blanchard, vice president of development for Hospice of Wake County. “Thanks to the SECU Foundation and SECU members for truly being our partner in caring.” “The SECU Foundation was founded on the basis of ‘people helping people’ and hospice epitomizes this philosophy, serving patients at the end of their life and their families,” King said.